There are multiple online sources that claim the Chihuahua dog breed was often eaten by the Mesoamerican cultures who lived there before the arrival of the Europeans.
For example, this site claims that:
The early Spanish conquistadors who explored the region in the 1500s noted that several tribes raised “little dogs” which they kept very fat in order to eat. Apparently this food was reserved for the elites of the towns. The Spanish also noted these “little dogs” were mute.
Scholars apparently thought the Spanish accounts couldn’t be trusted and suggested the animals referred to as “little dogs” were more likely oppossums. Yet a similar custom of elites eating fattened dogs was common in Mexico. The breed usually eaten was the Techichi which was a mute dog that the modern Chihuahua is thought to be derived from. The dog pots in Colima in west Mexico show fattened Techichis which provide visual evidence for this practice. The dog pots in the southeastern U.S. show fattened Chihuahuas which suggest this tradition was also practiced in the southeast.
This thread on the Snopes forums also makes a similar claim.
Are there any reliable sources that show the Chihuahua dog breed was frequently eaten by the Mesoamericans?
